Book Review: Forever Friday

I received Forever Friday by Timothy Lewis for review from Blogging for Books. I wasn't totally sold on the idea of this book at first. The book toggles back and forth between the past, Huck and Gabe's story, and the present, Adam's search for the secret to Huck and Gabe's lasting love.

This book reminded me of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks in the sense of two time periods in one book. You will fall in love with the characters immediately. It's easy to sympathize with Adam and his heartache over his divorce and his need for hope. Huck's spunky personality is just captivating. You can't help but just love Gabe's determination and devotion to Huck.

This is all-in-all a wonderful love story, and I would recommend this to any woman looking for a sweet love story.

Book Review: Summer Promises

I received Summer Promises by Robin Jones Gunn for review from Blogging for Books. I read this book years ago as a teenager and just reread it in the last 2 days! As I reread the book, I remembered why I loved it so much as a teenager. This book definitely speaks to the teenage girls. Christy is an innocent 14 year old from Wisconsin staying with her Aunt and Uncle in California for the summer. Staying in California, she struggles with fitting in, her confidence, self image, and of course, boy issues.

The book definitely has a focus on a personal relationship with Christ and what that means. This is a wholesome and encouraging book and I would recommend it for teenage girls.

Book Review: For Every Season

I received For Every Season by Cindy Woodsmall for review from Water Brook Multnomah Publishing. I was a bit hesitant to review this specific book because it's the 3rd book in the series and I hadn't read the previous books. Luckily, there is a recap of what's happened in the first two books before going into the 3rd book. In For Every Season, Rhoda is in a difficult place caught between two loves: her boyfriend Jacob and his brother Samuel. While the orchard has to weather out a frost that threatens to destroy a large percentage of their budding apple trees, Jacob must weather his legal issues. Rhoda's friendship continues to strain her relationship with Jacob.

I enjoyed this book, but I was pretty frustrated with the characters and their lack of actually talking about their feeling. A sense of duty and obligation seemed to override whatever they truly felt like they should do. One of my favorite characters is Landon. Landon works for the King's Orchard and brings up a lot of great questions questioning the Amish lifestyle.  

Cindy Woodsmall does include 2 recipes at the end of the book! Can't wait to try them!! I would recommend starting with book 1 on this series.

Book Review: Courting Cate

I received the book Courting Cate by Leslie Gould for review from Bethany House Publishing.

Cate is a 23 year old single Amish woman. Her younger sister, barely 18, is eager to get court and get married, while Cate is content with her singleness. Cate's father makes a rule that Betsy can only court if Cate does. When a man from out of town comes to work for Cate's father, Cate begins to get feelings for the young man that she never expected.

This book was a bit slow to start, but once you meet the out of towner, Pete, the story picks up. It definitely has it's ups and downs on the emotional roller coaster but you won't be able to put the book down. I really liked Cate's character even if she did have issues controlling her temper at times. Her love for her family and the values she carried were very admirable.

I would recommend this book to any reader looking for a good clean love story. I definitely am looking forward to the next Leslie Gould book!

Book Review: The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby

I received The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby by Erin MacPherson for review from Thomas Nelson Publishing. I picked this book even though I am not pregnant at this time, and I have never been pregnant. I thought it would be a fun book to read in prep for what to expect with my first pregnancy. Even though one of the other reviews for this book didn't like the sarcasm, I thought the voice of the author was hilarious! I really enjoyed her sense of humor and her honesty. A reader may not agree with all the things she has to say, but I definitely liked to getting her insight. Like advice from any girlfriend, you need to take it with a grain of salt. MacPherson's writing style made the book an easy and fun read. I like how she puts things in lists of tips, things to do, things not to do, how to prevent this and that. Obviously, for every woman, pregnancy will be different but doesn't hurt to read up prior!

Book Review: Christmas in Apple Ridge

I received Christmas in Apple Ridge by Cindy Woodsmall for review from Waterbrook Publishing. This is actually a compilation of 3 books, The Sound of Sleigh Bells, The Christmas Singing, and The Dawn of Christmas. I previously review The Christmas Signing, but this was the other two books. My favorite part of Cindy Woodsmall books are the characters, you just fall in love with them! The Sound of Sleigh Bells is about Jonah, sculpture and carpenter. He had seriously been injured during a sleighing accident. Beth is a business woman in the Amish community, selling Amish made goods to the English. Beth meets Jonah during a business trip where she is captivated by Jonah's work. With a miscommunication/set up by Beth's aunt, Jonah and Beth come to know each other through letters.

The Dawn of Christmas is the story of Sadie and Levi. Levi's former sister-in-law left his brother and nephew. His focus is on helping his brother raise his nephew, his job of toy making and training horses. Sadie, heart broken from the deception of her ex-fiance, she focuses on making soaps and raising money for mission trips. When Sadie saves Levi after being thrown from a horse, they decide to pretend to court to stop the pressuring from their family. As Sadie's ex-fiance ends up being Levi's business partner, trouble stirs. 

I absolutely loved all 3 of these books. They are just lovely. I recommend these books for women of all ages who love hopeless romantic books!

Book Review: Twice a Bride

I received the book Twice a Bride by Mona Hodgson for review from Waterbrook Publishing. This is book 4 of the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek. Willow Peterson is a widow living in Cripple Creek and working as an artist. I did not find this book or the characters very interesting. It may have been due to the fact that the since this was book 4, the characters weren't developed very well in this book. I would recommend other users to start with book 1.

Book Review: Taming the Wind

I received the book Taking the Wind by Tracie Petterson from Bethany House Publishing for review. This is book three of the Land of the Lone Star series. Even though I hadn't read the previous two book, the story was easy to follow and the characters were well developed. Carissa is a widow living with her sister and brother-in-law in North Texas in 1868 with her daughter. Carissa falls for Tyler Atherton, a rancher working for family friends. His father was killed during war and he needed to heal and learn to forgive. This book focuses on God's power in our lives to help us to heal, forgive, and learning to love again. It was a great romantic story. I would recommend this book for any hopeless romantic.